John Francis Battle Jr. was perhaps the most grizzled veteran reporter on The Augusta Chronicle's staff in the past century.
From the time he started at the newspaper as a copy boy in 1907 until his death in 1972, "Mr. Johnny" saw just about everything that happened in our town.
He could explain it all from City Hall to the fire hall. But he couldn't explain what he saw from the newsroom's second-floor window on the night of July 26, 1948.
Something was flying over Augusta. It was variously described as a “ball of fire,” “a streak of light,” “a rocket ship.”
Battle wasn't alone. In fact, most of Georgia saw something flying overhead that summer evening.
Those on duty at the Atlanta Naval Air Station spotted it. They reported it resembled a shooting star that climbed, then turned away from Georgia's capital city.
The U.S. Weather Service in Atlanta saw it, too. They said there was nothing going on in the atmosphere that would explain it.
Descriptions popped up all over the state, and they were colorful:
"A big light bulb with a red tail."
"A reddish white ball about the size of a cantaloupe."
"Green light with a short tail."
"Bluish stream of light."
In The Chronicle, the "wingless mystery plane" was described as a "double fuselage, one on top of the other, with flame shooting out the rear."
As in Atlanta, the local weather bureau also saw something in the night sky, but offered no meteorological opinion.
L.S. Nesmith, of 812 Russell St., an employee of the Civil Aeronautics Administration stationed at Augusta’s Daniel Field, said he saw a large object in the northern sky. Nesmith was "trained in observation work," The Chronicle said, but he didn't know what it was either.
The control tower at Daniel Field officially guessed and dutifully recorded it at 10:30 p.m. as a meteor flash.
Who else saw it? Everybody.
Reports came into The Chronicle newsroom from Milledgeville Road in Augusta and from Grant Avenue in North Augusta. They also came from Kennedy Drive, from Albion Acres, from Silcox Street. From Bath, S.C., and from Monte Sano Avenue.
A witness on Kissingbower Road said it was too large to be a plane.
Down at 1014 Ellis St., Mrs. Myrtle Skinner saw it and said it looked like a ball of fire with a tail. She said it was traveling very fast.
The next night, it came back. It was seen over Atlanta on July 27, and the description followed Augusta's from the night before – a "jet dirigible" emitting flames from its tail. They also saw it in Macon that night, too, with its flame described as (name your color) red, white, blue and silver.
So what was it? Seven decades later we know it only as a flying mystery.
This newspaper and its staff reported it. They saw it and they tried to explain it.
"The Chronicle newsmen and a member of the composing room actually observed what appeared to be a huge ball of fire traveling across the skies.
"Just what these objects were no one knows. They could have been meteors or shooting stars, but one thing is certain. Their appearance resulted in considerable confusion throughout the city and this section and caused the night staff in The Chronicle city room to grab ringing telephones for the better part of an hour."
We still wonder.
Bill Kirby
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.